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June 18, 2013 Fecal transplants are being used more often to treat life-threatening bacterial infections. But the Food and Drug Administration worried that the still-experimental procedure put patients at risk. Now it is dropping plans to restrict transplants after doctors and patients complained.

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June 13, 2013 Women and teenagers should soon be able to buy emergency contraception with no age restrictions, according to a federal district judge's memorandum. But the Obama administration's plan will put just one brand-name formulation of the "morning after" pill on store shelves.

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June 10, 2013 Inspecting seafood for safety hazards is currently the job of the Food and Drug Administration. But U.S. catfish producers want the Department of Agriculture involved, too. Critics say it's just a crackdown on foreign producers who are taking over the U.S. market.

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May 22, 2013 Activists say the case against Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger is about raw milk — and much more. His supporters have turned the case into a rallying cry for personal food freedom and the rights of farmers and consumers to enter into private contracts without government intervention.

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May 11, 2013 Microscopic bugs called cheese mites are responsible for the distinctive rind and flavor of the bright orange French cheese Mimolette. But now, the FDA has blocked more than a ton of Mimolette from entering the country, because the agency says the mites left on it make it unfit for consumption.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

May 10, 2013 Iin denying the government's motion for a stay, U.S. District Court Judge Korman, who has overseen the case since 2005, also laid out several substantive problems with the situation that last week's approval by the Food and Drug Administration created.

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April 30, 2013 Under the proposal, teenagers below 15 would now need a prescription to purchase the morning-after pill. That age was previously 17. The plan would also allow the product to be sold on retail shelves, rather than behind the pharmacy counters, with age to be verified by cashiers rather than pharmacy staff.

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April 23, 2013 More than 200 dietary supplements have been recalled in recent years because they contain drugs that aren't listed on the label, an analysis finds. The ingredients are potentially harmful, researchers say.

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April 5, 2013 The ruling could end a more than decade-long battle that has spanned two administrations. The decision overturns a controversial 2011 action by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius overruling the Food and Drug Administration's decision to allow sale of morning-after pill without a prescription or regard for a person's age.

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April 4, 2013 The Food and Drug Administration says it can't keep up with all the dietary supplements that claim to enhance sexual performance. Many have been found to contain potentially harmful ingredients, so the agency is warning people to beware of the entire bunch.

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February 15, 2013 Exercise buffs who take dietary supplements with the ingredient know as DMAA say the stimulant gives them a boost of energy. But some researchers and the Food and Drug Administration are worried that these products could be dangerous.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

January 25, 2013 Painkillers containing the drug hydrocodone have provided relief to many in pain. But a panel recommended the federal government place restrictions on access to the drugs to lessen the odds of addiction.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

January 23, 2013 Prescription drugs like Vicodin have provided much-needed relief for many people suffering from pain. But these painkillers can be addictive, and they kill thousands each year. Doctors and regulators are looking into how to limit access to the drugs without causing more suffering for pain patients.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

January 18, 2013 The Food and Drug Administration just approved a flu vaccine made by cells taken from the fall armyworm, an agricultural pest. The cells produce copies of a piece of the flu virus's outer coat that primes the immune system. Conventional vaccines use the whole virus and take longer to produce.

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January 15, 2013 Researchers found that graphic warning labels had a greater impact on smokers' intentions to quit than written warnings. Reactions to the visual warnings were similar across racial and income groups, which researchers say is important because of higher rates of tobacco-related disease among some minorities and the poor.

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